For thousands of years mankind has struggled with its sense of Free Will.
Many considered it a burden of great responsibility, while others relinquished their will to the gods. Some denied Free Will's existence and became agents of Chaos and Fate.
Eventually came those who, through harsh training, learned to control their Will and use its unlimited power to bring peace and good to the world…
But WILL could not be controlled so easily and it soon corrupted these mighty men, thus spawning those who use WILL for evil and who manipulate the WILL of others.
The Seishin Council was established to guard humanity and preserve the sanctity of Free Will.
To this end, the Seishin Trials were set up as a way to screen and recruit potential WILL users. But to the general public, the Trials were merely a path to fame fortune…
____________________________
Kai lay awake on his bed, staring at the ticket in his hand.
Seishin Trials - Wild Card #2
Kai Arashi
"I won't be Zero Kai anymore."
His heart thudded as he imagined being admired. Instead of abuse, people would acknowledge—or even cheer him.
He turned to the pile of magazines he'd bought with some of his winnings from the Riku fight. (The rest of the prize money was stuffed into an envelope by his bed.)
"I'm going to win the Seishin Trials."
***
Monday morning at school, the classroom buzzed.
"My apprenticeship's at the tech lab. They said if I work hard, I could get hired after summer."
"Lucky bastard. I'm with a trading firm."
"Hey, Zero Kai. Got your apprenticeship lined up? I hear the sewage company is always looking for turd collectors."
The class laughed but Kai didn't take notice until someone snatched away the picture he was drawing.
"Hey, give that back!"
"What's this supposed to be, a unicorn?"
Kai's hands clenched. "In case you didn't hear, I fought Riku the Bull on Saturday. And I won."
The laughter stopped for a second.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. My cousin was there too. Said the whole contest was rigged."
"Ah, so Zero Kai has turned to a life of crime? Perhaps we should teach him a lesson."
Kai was backed into the corner of the classroom.
"It wasn't rigged. I beat Riku fair and square, so you better not mess with—"
The punch came before he finished. Kai crumpled to the ground.
***
"Another fight at school? Do you enjoy shaming this family?"
Kai's father slammed his hand on the table.
All around the living room hung pictures of Kai's sister Ayame and her achievements.
"Now listen, Kai. I've arranged an apprenticeship for you at Mr Tanaka's real estate office."
"Tanaka? Can't I work at your art studio?"
"And mess with the printers again? I think not."
(Kai had previously tried to print off his art homework only to mix up his USB sticks and instead printed a number of risqué poster-size images of the Women's Volleyball team.)
Kai hung his head. But an idea came quickly.
"How about Master Okami? If I'm going to the Seishin Trials then—"
"Seishin Trials! Over my dead body! Is it not enough to embarrass us in our own neighbourhood that you must to do it on a national scale?"
"But I won a Wild Card. I have to go."
Kai held it up.
*SWIPE*
Kai only just managed to evade his father's hands.
"You throw that away, this instant. Whatever scam that Okami character is running, you'll have no part in it. I forbid it."
"It's not a scam—"
"Of course it's a scam. Look how hard your sister worked for her entry—and she had one hundred times the talent!"
The words were crushing.
Kai's shoulders slumped.
His father sighed and shook his head.
"Listen, Kai. Okami may have a been a champion in times past… but look at him now. He lives in an abandoned mine-shaft on the edge of town. Is that really what you want for yourself?"
***
Past the busy streets and neon lights of Split Mountain City, the houses gave way to black rock and rusted fences.
SPLIT MOUNTAIN MINE — CLOSED BY ORDER OF THE CITY.
Kai gripped the chain-link fence, hauled himself over, and dropped inside. His sleeve tore on the wire.
"Aw man. This is my favourite top."
"And that's my favourite fence. Trespasser."
Kai froze, spotting a figure standing at the entrance to a dark mine shaft. The rigged lights cast long dark shadows.
"Master Okami! I've come to be your apprentice."
"OK. First lesson. Leave me alone."
Kai dropped to his knees, bowing to Okami.
"Please, master. You have to help me…"
In the interest of time, the reader shall be spared Kai's lengthy (and rather melodramatic) recap of the current events.
"…but my father wants me to work for some boring real estate company."
Okami yawned.
"So why don't you?"
"Because I want to win the Seishin Trials. Just like you did."
Indeed Kai had read all about Okami's achievements in the Seishin magazines he'd bought. His dreams had grown proportionally.
"Thirty years ago, you fought Tobimara the Bear in the final trial and almost brought down the Split Mountain Stadium! If you take me on as an apprentice miner, not only will I get my school credits—but you can teach me to fight too."
Okami stared at the boy. To see such pure excitement and wonder was rather moving. Even inspirational. Certainly no man could ignore—
"What's in it for me?"
Kai blinked. He hadn't really considered that side of the equation. In some ways, this was the first lesson he learned from Okami: Enthusiasm shakes the soul, but practicality shakes the hand.
"Um, well, I'll be your apprentice so… you know… I can help you with rocks and stuff."
"Rocks. And stuff."
Understandably, Okami's tone was rather flat.
"Tell me something, kid. If your father won't let you do what you want, why not just bend him?"
"Bend?"
"Like you did with the contest organiser to let you fight Riku. Impose your WILL."
"My WILL? What do you mean by that?"
Okami sighed.
'I suppose it makes sense. If the kid really was a Manipulator, he'd be a helluva lot further on in life. Or death…'
"Does your father have those big printers at his art studio?"
"Printers? Yeah. But he got pretty mad the last time I used them, so you can't print any naked ladies—"
*CHOKE*
"Who said I wanted to print naked ladies?!"
Kai shrugged. "I dunno. You just seem like the type."
"Well I'm not!"
Okami's eye twitched.
"All right, here's the deal, kid. You help me print some posters and I'll give you some tips for the Seishin Trials. Sound good?"
***
A chill wind rattled the open fire door at the back of Kai's father's studio.
"But why do you want to print that?"
Kai stared as Okami pulled the first poster from the big industrial printer.
It was a picture of Kai knocking out Riku the Bull.
Okami chuckled.
"Riku thinks he's so high and mighty. But let's see how that cocky bastard likes these all over town!"
Kai panicked.
"You can't do that! He'll think I did it!"
The thought of having that terrible monster charging towards again him made Kai's legs go weak. He hurried to push the STOP button on the printers but Okami grabbed his wrist.
"Let go!"
"Relax, kid. Riku's plenty strong but get him mad enough and he can't see straight. Hey, I guess that's Seishin Trials Tip #1 for ya."
Okami gave a thumb's up.
Kai wanted to vomit.
"And besides, the kids at school will have to acknowledge you now, won't they?"
"Are you kidding m—?"
Kai froze because at this moment he heard a noise coming from the front of the art studio.
"Hello? Is someone here?"
"Oh no! It's my dad."
Kai ripped his arm free and slapped the STOP button on the printers.
"We have to get out of here."
Kai frantically pulled at Okami's clothes but Okami calmly collected up the posters he'd printed, butting the sides against the table as if he had all the time in the world.
"Come on! I can't get in trouble again. We have to go—"
The printing room door opened and Kai gasped.
"Fath—!"
*MUFFLE*
Okami's hand clamped over Kai's mouth.
"Shhhh."
The lights came on and Kai's father stalked in holding a baseball bat.
"Whoever's here better come out right now or you'll wish I called the police!"
Kai's eyes bulged as his father stormed towards the printer controls with a terrifying look on his face.
He's going to kill me!
I'll be grounded all summer!
Even Ayame won't be able to help me—Huh?
Kai's father rushed right by them. He stomped around the giant printers, holding the baseball bat high above his shoulder. He looked left and right, and high and low.
"You can't hide from me! I know you're here."
Kai was astounded. Despite standing in the middle of the room—under the brightest ceiling light—Kai's father seemed completely unaware of Kai and Okami's being there.
"What's going on? Why isn't he looking at us?"
Kai glanced up at Okami.
The old man's eyes were fixed in concentration as they tracked Kai's father moving about around them.
*CRASH*
A dustbin rattled outside and Kai's father sprinted towards the open fire door, shouting:
"Ah-ha! You won't get away from me that easily!"
"Okay, kid. Let's get out of here."
Okami removed his hand from Kai's open mouth and headed for the front doors with the freshly-printed posters under his arm.
Kai blinked.
"But… but why didn't he see us? We were right here in front of him."
Okami grinned.
"Sometimes the will to go unseen is greater than the will to be seen."